[caption id="attachment_18516" align="alignright" width="1000"] "Fred" Fleeting Heritage. One of his early wins. August 21, 1977.[/caption] by Bob Gates Fred was a thoroughbred who only knew one racetrack, Assiniboia Downs. His first start came as a 2-year-old on July 30, 1976. His final call to the post took place 11 years later, on May 24, 1987.…
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Beginnings, Endings and Thank You
[caption id="attachment_16378" align="alignright" width="1000"] Bobby Stewart Tribute Gallery.[/caption] by Bob Gates Who's kidding who, you're being short-changed this time around. Our weekly history blog isn't about a historical horse racing figure or event. That's right, no person, horse or anything else was researched for today's tale. However, in an effort to pacify my editor I've…
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Remembering Dick Armstrong and His Family’s Home Away From Home
[caption id="attachment_15853" align="alignright" width="1000"] Fire N Desire wins 1969 Manitoba Derby. Dick Armstrong up.[/caption] by Bob Gates Let's celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, shall we? This year marks the 60th anniversary of jockey George Richard "Dickie" Armstrong's first leading-rider title (1962) at Assiniboia Downs. The Maple Creek, Saskatchewan native would go on to top the Downs…
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2018 Live Racing Season sails into the sunset, but lots going on in off-season at Downs
[caption id="attachment_9277" align="alignright" width="1024"] Ray Stewart, family and friends in the winner's circle at the Downs. September 6, 2015.[/caption] by Bob Gates The end is near! Okay, perhaps that's a little too melodramatic, but this is my final blog story as the season draws to a close on Sunday, September 9. Wow, it seems like…
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Windsor Moon: Teachers’ Pet and 1971 Gold Cup Winner
by Bob Gates What do you get when you combine seven St. Boniface school teachers, $1,500 and a desire for fun and adventure? Back in May 1970 you'd get Hoarse Stable and a four-year-old thoroughbred called Windsor Moon. Who remembers him? This dark bay gelding was the shiny apple these teachers always wanted. Not sitting…
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Duke Campbell, one of the greatest horsemen to ever walk the prairies
[caption id="attachment_7095" align="alignnone" width="780"] The 37-cent horse, Omar's Gift at Polo Park. "Duke" Campbell on the far left.[/caption] by Bob Gates Donald H. "Duke" Campbell's bio on the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame website says that his chief claim to fame was that he discovered and developed Sandy Hawley into a world class jockey.…
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Rob’s ASD Picks for August 30 & 31
Redeeming myself ; Best bet: Balooga Bull Last Saturday turned out to be a real disappointing day for me, bankroll-wise. Betting two good winners in Big Bad Barry and Rising Icon and not having anything significant come of it was not good wagering strategy on my part. Last Saturday showed me some things and this…
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Jennifer Reid lights up board; Balooga returns
By Ivan Bigg for George (on holidays) [caption id="attachment_2795" align="alignright" width="100" caption="Jennifer Reid - A rider posessed"][/caption] The big news Wednesday night, besides the pick-4 carryover, was the resurgence of jockey Jennifer Reid. Third in the standings, she rode like a rider possessed, lighting up the board with two longshot wins and one longshot…
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